


I'll be different (by the shade of the moon)

by csmithman



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confessions, Fictober, Insecure Lance, Late Night Conversations, M/M, and that someone is keith, homesick Lance, look I really love lance okay someone needs to give that boy a hug, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-01 20:52:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16291586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csmithman/pseuds/csmithman
Summary: Keith finds Lance in the kitchen late at night. Lance isn't up to their usual fighting. Conversations ensue -- and things change for the better.Sometimes it's easier to be honest late at night.





	1. wisdom

**Author's Note:**

> For Fictober days 14: "Some people call this wisdom" and 16: "This is gonna be so much fun!"
> 
> Title from "I'll See You There" by Kishi Bashi

“ _ What  _ are you doing?”

It’s unexpected, the question that comes out of the darkness, and Lance jumps a little. It was late on the castleship and he thought he was the only one awake. Clearly he should have remembered that Keith never sleeps.

He turns around and, sure enough, Keith stands there, fully dressed and scowling. Lance, in his blue bathrobe and lion slippers, scowls right back.

“What’s it to you, Mullet?”

“You’re acting strangely. Why are you in the kitchen this late in the night cycle? And what are you doing with that food goo?” Keith squints, trying to see what Lance is doing. To be fair, it’s not an unreasonable question. On Earth, Lance might be a fairly good cook, but he has yet to try his hand at making food goo palatable. That’s Hunk’s arena.

Keith isn’t wrong to be suspicious; Lance isn’t exactly cooking anything. But he doesn’t feel like explaining himself right now, least of all to Keith.

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out,” he retorts, but his heart isn’t in it. His nephew might be proud of him, but as far as comebacks go, it’s not his strongest. It’s an off-night. He expects Keith to snark back, call him out on his lame comeback, but he’s surprised.

“Are you okay?” Keith seems hesitant.

Lance doesn’t know how to respond. He never knows how to handle it when Keith is anything other than combative. The few moments they’ve shared without the “rivalry” hanging over their head have been nice, but he’s not sure how to feel. He feels like he should snap back, reassert familiar ground. Snarking at each other is their thing.

But it  _ is  _ an off night.

Lance sighs. He hasn’t felt like bothering anyone else with his issues. He doesn’t want it to seem like all he does is complain. Hunk is an angel, but Lance doesn’t want to be a burden. Maybe Keith’s apathetic ear is just what he needs?

But trust doesn’t come easy, and falling back into old habits is safer.

“Why do you care? You probably just want to make fun of me.” Keith looks shocked, which quickly transforms into… something. Lance isn’t sure what. Exasperation? Anger? There’s something else there, something he can’t identify.

“Clearly something is bothering you if you’re up this late, and I’m the only one here so forgive me for thinking maybe I could help! Don’t worry, I won’t bother next time.” Having said his piece, Keith whirls around and starts to stomp away.

Lance feels guilty. This whole “rivalry” thing is his fault. Keith never asked for an insecure cargo pilot to constantly try to one-up him. It’s not Keith’s fault Lance makes everything a competition. If anything, Keith does seem like he just wants to be friends. It isn’t the first time he’s tried to bridge the gap -- it’s just that Lance is always shutting him down. Maybe… maybe it’s time to try something new.

“Keith, wait. I’m sorry. You’re right. Something is bothering me, but I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

This time, the shock on Keith’s face transforms into something clearer. There’s understanding on his face. If anyone can understand lashing out in hurt, it’s Keith. He takes a tentative step toward Lance.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Keith seems hesitant, but determined. Lance feels better knowing he isn’t the only one left feeling lost in this new, unfamiliar territory. But if Keith can make the effort, then by quiznak so can Lance (okay, so friends or not, the competitive thing isn’t going away anytime soon).

“I don’t know… Do you feel like listening to me complain for a little bit?”

Keith smiles. Lance complaining is more familiar territory.

“If you think it would help. But don’t expect any advice!” Keith warns, and Lance laughs, a little. He sits at the table, thinking about what to say.

“A listening ear is enough. I’d be worried about your advice. We can’t all stab our problems away.”

Keith scowls at that but joins him at the table anyway.

Lance sighs. “It’s just… I know Voltron is important. We’re saving people, and that’s amazing. I’m beyond proud to be here. And we’re in space! That’s always been my dream, and it finally happened. But I miss home, too. I miss Earth. I miss the ocean and the night sky with the  _ right  _ stars. I miss my mom, and my siblings. I miss my niece and nephew. I miss my abuela’s cooking. And sometimes…” he starts to pick up steam, hands waving wildly as he starts talking faster, louder. It’s easier than he thought, telling Keith all this, but he’s been dying to talk to someone for so long. “Sometimes I get scared. Ever since we got out here, I can’t stop thinking about what could go wrong. What if I never see them again? What if something happens to them while I’m so far away? What if something happens to me, and they never know?” He’s ranting, he knows, but it’s the first time he’s let himself express his worries since coming to space. It feels good to get it off his chest, even if Keith looks surprised by his outburst.

“You’ve been feeling like this since we came to space? But you never said… you’re always so goofy.”

Lance smiles, but there’s no mirth in it.

“I feel like I have to, you know? That’s what you all think of me. I’m goofy Lance, the comic relief. The clown. And…” he sighs. “I don’t want to upset anyone. At least I know where my family is. Pidge… she’s still searching, she doesn’t want to hear about my family safe and sound back on Earth. My problems are nothing compared to hers. Or anyone else’s-”

Keith cuts him off. “Woah. Hey. Okay.” Keith puts a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “First of all, no one thinks of you as a clown. I mean, sure, you make us laugh. But in a good way! You keep our spirits up. You’re our morale. Without you, I don’t know what we’d do. I feel like we’d fall apart. It’s tough out here, fighting a war… but you keep us smiling. And secondly…” he breathes in deeply, then plunges on. “Lance, we’re your friends. We care about you. If you’re feeling down, we want to know. What would Hunk think if he knew you were sad and didn’t talk to him? Pidge would probably slap you for thinking you couldn’t talk about something bothering you because of her. Out here, we’re all each other has, Lance.”

Lance is stunned. He doesn’t think he’s heard Keith say that many words at once before,  _ let alone  _ so many nice things about  _ him  _ . How does he respond? He knows this is not the moment to make a joke, but…

“Are you feeling okay? Maybe you’re sick, running a fever. OH! Or maybe you’re an imposter! The  _ real  _ Keith would never say so many nice things to me.” He puts a hand up as if to check Keith’s forehead, committing to the joke. Keith slaps his hand away, but there’s a slight smile on his face.

“Stop it. I’m trying to be serious. Everyone here cares about you, Lance. You may miss your family on Earth, but don’t you know you have a family here, too?”

No longer feeling humorous, Lance is left reeling. Sure, he knows, deep down, that everyone cares about him. But it’s easy to give in to the insecurity. To believe that he is just the clown, that no one cares about his problems. But Keith is right. They  _ are _ a family. He thinks about Hunk, who would be sad to know that Lance wasn’t talking to him about a problem. Or Pidge, who really  _ would _ slap him -- fondly, of course, but still. They’re his friends. They’ve been through a lot together.

But  _ Keith  _ ? He never expected this from Keith.  _ Are  _ they friends? Before they came to space, Lance would have categorically answered “no.” Keith was his  _ rival  _ . His mullet-headed competition. But going to war has a way of changing one’s priorities. And Keith is a great teammate. They work together well, and they always have each other’s back. Still, he’s not sure where they stand. And he’s well aware that much of the confusion stems from his own actions.

“You think of me as family? Even after all the trouble I give you?”

“Isn’t that what families are supposed to do?”

Lance quirks a smile at that. Yeah, his family gives each other grief all the time. He just didn't think Keith would recognize that.

“I don’t think we could get through this without caring about each other. Once you’ve been through the things we’ve been through, there’s a bond. I don’t know, you know I’m not good with words. But of course I care about you, Lance. And not just because you’re my teammate and I trust you.”

Keith hesitates. There’s something in his eyes, but Lance can’t quite decipher it. Whatever it is, he knows this is a big moment. Keith takes a deep breath, then looks him in the eye. Lance has never seen him look so… serious? Solemn? That’s not the right word, but he isn’t sure what the right word is.

“I care about you because of  _ who you are  _ , Lance. You’re fun, and funny. You’re really smart, even if you don’t always act like it, and you’re an amazing pilot. You make this castle feel like home and you bring so much warmth to everything you do. You’re special, Lance. How could I not care about you?”

Lance’s world is off-balance. How is he supposed to take that? That may just be the nicest thing he’s ever heard and it came from  _ Keith  _ of all people. Keith, his rival. Keith, who he thought barely tolerated him because they’re teammates. Keith, who says he isn’t good with words.

Keith, whose hand is still on his shoulder. Keith, whose eyes are filled with an indefinable warmth.

Oh.

_ Oh. _

_ Wait -- what?? _

Okay, okay. This can’t be real. Lance is dreaming. Maybe he fell asleep in the kitchen. Maybe he hit his head in battle and this is all some sort of weird concussion vision. There’s no way, absolutely no way at all, that Keith could be saying what Lance thinks he’s saying. Because it sounds an awful lot like Keith is saying he likes Lance.  _ Likes him  _ . Which is  _ so  _ far beyond the realm of possibility.

But why would Lance have a fever dream about Keith liking him? Wouldn’t that mean....

Oh no. Oh no no no. He cuts that thought off before it can leave the station. There is  _ no way  _ . Lance doesn’t want Keith to like him. No sir. That would mean that  _ Lance  _ likes _ Keith  _ . Which he does  _ not  _ . Keith is… he’s  _ Keith  _ . He’s arrogant, and always showing Lance up… well, to be fair, Keith never knew they were rivals until Lance made it a thing. And he certainly has the talent to back up his arrogance. He’s an amazing pilot, and the way he fights is a beautiful thing to watch. And Lance can certainly admit that Keith is attractive, with his strange purple eyes and the mullet that he somehow manages to make look good, but that doesn’t mean he  _ has a crush on Keith  _ .

Oh.

Oh quiznak.

He totally does. He totally does have a crush on Keith. Everything, this whole rivalry, the need to grab Keith’s attention at any cost, it’s just because Lance had a crush on him and was too stupid to realize.

He has a crush on Keith, his rival. Keith, his teammate. Keith, his maybe friend.

Keith,  _ whose hand is still on Lance’s shoulder  _ .

Keith shifts restlessly, starting to withdraw. How long has Lance been staring at him? Oh no. This isn’t a dream, it’s just Lance screwing up another thing in his life. Keith thinks Lance is rejecting him. He put himself out there, showing more of his emotions than Lance thought possible, and Lance has probably been staring at him like a fool, only just now realizing how he felt.

Well he’ll be quiznacked if he’s going to screw up the first chance he’s had at something really good.

Lance feels a rush of something. Something kind of like the first time he flew Blue. There’s warmth, and affection, but also adrenaline. This is a  _ moment  _ . He can’t mess it up. Before he can overthink it, he acts. He grabs the hand Keith just removed from his shoulder and stops Keith before he can fully withdraw.

“Wait. Just… wait a second. Because I need you to be very clear. I don’t want to make a mistake. I know you don’t like using your words, but I need you to right now. Very clear words.” Keith opens his mouth but no words come out. Clearly, trust doesn’t come easily to him either. “ _ Please  _ , Keith.”

“Lance, you know. You  _ know  _ .”

“I need to hear it, Keith. I need to hear the words. Because if you’re saying what I think you’re saying well…” Lance stops there, gathers himself. “I don’t want to mess anything up.” There’s another strange look in Keith’s eyes. Scared. Anxious. But also --  _ maybe  _ \-- hopeful? Lance knows the feeling.

They’re on a precipice. Keith has never been afraid to leap.

“I like you, Lance. In a romantic way. A lot, actually. And I have for a while. I think you’re amazing, and I hate this stupid rivalry but if it’s the only way to interact with you I’ll take it and-”

Lance cuts off Keith’s  _ totally adorable  _ rambling with his lips. It’s not much, just a quick peck, but it completely stops Keith in his tracks. Lance pulls away, feeling just a  _ touch _ smug at the shock on Keith’s face.

“Good. I like you too. I was just too stupid to realize it.” He sighs, but it’s fond. Warmer than he ever thought he’d feel. “Figures you would be the smart one in this relationship.”

“We  _ just  _ established you’re smart too -- wait, relationship?”

“Oh,” Lance feels hesitant all of the sudden. “I’m sorry, I just assumed… You said you liked me and I like you too, and I thought maybe we could try being more than friends but I shouldn’t have assumed that and it’s totally cool if you don’t wanna—” This time it’s Keith who cuts off Lance’s rambling with a kiss.

And what a kiss. Earlier it was just a peck, but this time… this time, Keith gives it his all. And Lance is floored. Keith, it turns out, is a really good kisser. Like, okay, Lance doesn’t have much to compare with. But he’s pretty sure Keith is top notch. It’s… wow.

“I definitely wanna,” Keith says as he pulls back. And yeah, okay, Keith is  _ totally  _ justified in the smug look Lance can see. He’ll take all the smug looks if it means Keith kisses him again.  _ Wait  _ —

“You want to?”

“Yes, Lance. I want to ‘try being more than friends.’ I want to go out with you. I want to be your boyfriend, if you’ll have me.”

“I will definitely have you.” Lance knows he probably looks like an idiot, but he doesn’t care. He couldn’t stop the massive smile from growing across his face if he tried.

“Good.” But it’s okay, because Keith is smiling too, and everything is okay. Scratch that, everything is  _ great  _ . Lance laughs a little, which makes Keith send him a questioning glance.

“Sorry, this is just  _ not  _ what I was expecting out of this evening. Who would have thought that you offering to listen to me complain would lead to this?”

Keith laughs too. “Are you feeling better then?”

“Much better.”

Keith smiles, but sobers quickly. “But Lance seriously. When you’re feeling sad, talk to someone. I hope you know you can talk to me, but I know the others would want you to talk to them, too. We’re all dealing with our own stuff out here, but no one would want you to suffer alone. We’re family, remember?”

“Family,” Lance agrees, feeling touched. It feels like his mother’s smile, or his sisters’ teasing. It feels like Hunk baking, and Pidge cackling, and Coran rambling… It feels like Keith, smiling at him like he’s never seen Keith smile before. “I still miss my Earth family, but you’re right. You guys are my family too. Thanks for reminding me.”

“I’m always willing to tell you when you’re being stupid,” Keith quips with a smile.

“Hey!” Lance squawks, but he’s fighting a smile too. “Some supportive boyfriend you are.”

“It’s because I’m your boyfriend that I have to tell you. I’m just trying to- HEY!” Keith dissolves into giggles as Lance pokes him in the stomach. Okay, Keith is ticklish. This is valuable information. As is the information that his boyfriend— _ boyfriend—  _ looks absolutely adorable giggling. He’s never seen Keith look so happy, so carefree. To think that that’s because of Lance...  well.

As Keith’s giggling dies down, Lance reaches out slowly and takes Keith’s hand, checking to make sure it’s okay. Keith rolls his eyes and grabs Lance’s hand, holding it firmly. Warmly. Okay. This is good. Lance likes this.

“Hey, you never did tell me what you were doing in here. Are you trying your hand at cooking?”

Lance laughs, remembering his original mission. “ I’m not brave enough to mess with food goo. Although, if we ever get back to Earth I’ll knock your socks off.” Keith looks intrigued. File that one away. “I was trying to see if I could make a face mask out of this. My sisters and I used to do that at home all the time, with honey and stuff. I was missing them, and I thought this would make me feel close to them, but of course there’s no honey out here, just food goo…” he trails off.

“You were going to slather food goo all over your face?” Keith looks appalled, and to be honest Lance can’t blame him. It’s not an appealing thought, but he’s willing to try.

“I still am! It’s a lot of work looking this good, you know, and my skin needs a little something lately. Do you... “ he hesitates, then plows on. “Do you want to do a face mask with me? Not that you need if, of course, you have irritatingly perfect skin, even though you probably just wash with soap like some kind of heathen, but maybe… maybe it would be fun?” Keith looks like the last thing he wants to do is put food goo on his face, but at the hopeful look on Lance’s face, gives in.

“Okay. Sure, we can do a face mask together.” Keith sounds less like he’s going to do a fun activity with his new boyfriend and more like he’s going to the gallows, but Lance will take it. He grabs Keith’s hand and stands up with more energy than he would have thought possible for this hour, pulling Keith towards his room for their first… date?

“Let’s go! You’re going to be amazed, trust me. We’ll have fun! And then our skin will look amazing! When we’re 80 and you still look youthful you’ll thank me for making you do a face mask with me.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Keith snarks, but there’s fondness in his eyes and the smallest smile fighting to win over his face.

“Some people call this wisdom.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Fictober Day 16: "This is gonna be so much fun!"  
> Keith's perspective on their changing relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a day late, sorry, this was supposed to go up yesterday (I had it all written up and everything) but I got in a car accident the other day and yesterday I honestly just slept all day. So I hope you enjoy this even if it's not technically October 16 anymore!

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Lance exclaims as he tugs Keith down the hallway toward his bedroom. Lance continues to chatter about skincare and the benefits of honey (even though they don’t  _ have  _ any honey) but to be honest Keith isn’t absorbing a single word.

He’s still trying to catch up.

When Keith reached out a hand to Lance in comfort, he'd fully expected to be rejected. It was fine. He was used to Lance responding in anger. It wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much he could do. What was far less expected was Lance apologizing and actually  _ talking  _ to him. Unexpected… but nice.

Nice, that is, until Lance started really going. It hurt, hearing Lance talk about how much he missed his family and how worried he was for them . But what hurt far worse was Lance saying he didn’t think he could talk about his problems because no one would care. That everyone thought of him as the goofball.

Oh, how wrong Lance was. He thought the team didn’t care? That they thought he was only a goofball? That no one saw how amazing he was? Keith couldn’t see  _ anything else _ .

Because while Lance only saw Keith as a rival, Keith saw Lance as a shooting star: brilliant, beautiful, and far out of reach.

Keith had been stewing in his feelings for awhile, his crush on Lance starting _almost_ immediately.  When Lance appeared in that tent, insisting that  _ he  _ would rescue Shiro, Keith was caught up by how attractive this (apparently-not-a) stranger was. But he had other things to focus on: namely, Shiro, and the mystery of the energy in the desert. But when Lance was able to awaken the Blue Lion, something Keith had never achieved, he started paying closer attention.

Lance was amazing. He flew like an absolute madman, but there was something truly stunning in the way he flew: with passion, with excitement, with all-out joy. He flew the way Keith felt, but could never fully express. And Lance never  _ stopped  _ expressing his emotions. He was an open book in a way that Keith could never be.

Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that that open book was turned to Chapter 1: Keith Sucks.

He’s not sure where Lance got the idea that they were rivals. To be honest, he really  _ doesn’t  _ remember Lance from the Garrison, though he’s not sure how he could have possibly forgotten. The Garrison was a rough time for him, and he honestly blocked out most everything but Shiro and flying. He didn’t like to think back to his failures or his expulsion. And okay, he can see why Lance would be insulted by that, but he seemed to think they were enemies even before that point?

So. Rivals. Lance and Keith, neck and neck, apparently. So there they were, stuck on a castle in space incomprehensibly far from Earth, fighting a millennia old war. Rivals.

Meanwhile, Keith is harboring the biggest crush ever on the kid who hates his guts, and it seems to keep getting worse. They’re always fighting, and while Keith can’t deny he likes having Lance’s attention, he wishes it could be positive attention for once.

And then… it  _ was _ . Then, the Bonding Moment happened. Keith saw the light: a potential future where Lance didn’t hate him, where he and Lance could get closer, where he and Lance could be friends. Maybe… maybe even one day  _ more  _ than friends. It was terrible seeing Lance so hurt, but if something good came out of it…

But of course it didn’t. Because of course Lance forgot. He forgot the moment he admitted they made a good team. He has no recollection of not hating Keith. Because this is Keith, and life must always find a way to suck.

So Keith continued on, giving into Lance’s bickering, not able to stop himself from craving the other boy’s attention. All the while he can’t forget the moment he had hope, and the hurt when that hope went away, and tries to stop himself from hoping again.

But tonight things were different. Always tuned into Lance’s emotions, Keith was quick to pick up on the fact that something was bothering Lance. He wouldn’t have guessed that Lance would actually open up. That Lance would give him another chance to prove that they could be more than rivals. But he wasn’t going to throw away this chance.

And when Lance revealed deep, inner insecurity, Keith knew he had to speak up. Sure, protecting himself and his feelings was important, but it was far less important than making sure Lance knew how amazing he was.

Keith Kogane is no coward. He plunged forward, knowing that he was probably revealing a lot more than he planned -- but it was worth it. It was worth it to make Lance feel better. It was worth making a fool of himself, if he could put a smile back on Lance’s normally-radiant face.

But of course, this is Lance, who never misses an opportunity to surprise and confuse Keith. Which leads to the present moment. Somehow, some way, Keith is being dragged along to Lance’s room for -- a _date_?

His mind is reeling. He remembers Lance saying he liked Keith too. He remembers Lance kissing him. He remembers saying that he wanted to be Lance’s boyfriend. But remembering is one thing.  _ Believing  _ is another. This seems far too good to be real.

But Lance’s hand is warm in his. The ghost of Lance’s lips is on his. He can hear Lance chattering away, far happier than he was when Keith first encountered him in the kitchen. Far happier than Keith can ever remember Lance sounding, at least when talking to  _ him _ .

And. Wait. Lance has stopped talking.

Lance is looking at Keith, a confused and slightly concerned look on his face. And Keith realizes that he has no clue how long he’s been standing there, silent and awkward. At some point they’d apparently reached Lance’s room. At some point Lance had stopped speaking.

Right. This isn’t awkward. Perfect start to a first date, right?

Luckily, Lance is there to rescue the moment.

“Hey,” he says, softly. Gently. “Everything okay? You’re being even quieter than usual.”

“Yeah,” Keith manages to croak out. He winces at how stupid he must sound. “Everything’s fine. Just. You know. Trying to catch up.”

“Oh,” Lance says, his face falling a little. “Is it too much? I know I can be a bit overwhelming at times, and it’s been like twenty minutes, maybe you need some time to think? Maybe you want to slow down?”

Of course Lance would find a way to make it his fault. The boy is self-sacrificing to a fault. This is all Keith’s problem --  _ Keith’s  _ inability to comprehend that the boy of his dreams might actually like him back. He can’t let Lance blame himself. Funnily enough, that’s just what he needs to get himself in gear.

“Hey, Lance, no,” he reassures. “It’s not too much. It’s perfect. It’s just a little  _ too  _ perfect, you know? I didn’t think you’d ever like me back, so I never really thought this far ahead.” Lance lights up, a smile returning to his face. “I’m just really happy, and you know I don’t handle that too well.”

That gets a laugh out of Lance, who steps closer, still holding Keith’s hand.

“I’m happy too. I can’t believe I was so stupid, we could have been doing this for ages.” He blushes a little. “I like you happy. You have a really nice smile, you know that?”

Keith is pretty sure he’s on fire, his face is so warm. And his heart is warm, too, an unfamiliar but in no way unpleasant feeling rising, threatening to break loose.

They’re so close, now. If he wanted to, it would take just a tiny shift to kiss Lance again. And he really wants to. And, he realizes, he  _ can _ .

“Lance…” he asks, just to be sure. “Can I kiss you?”

The beautiful smile on Lance’s face is almost answer enough.

“Please do.” But the words mean even more.

Keith closes the tiny gap, marveling at the fact that he can do this, now. He can kiss Lance. He doesn’t have to hide his feelings or pretend to be annoyed by the talkative boy. Then, he’s marveling at the feel of Lance’s lips on his, the feeling of  _ rightness _ . It’s like he can  _ feel  _ the joy that bubbles out of Lance, like Lance is giving Keith a glimpse at what it’s like to  _ feel  _ things so strongly. It’s strangely addictive.

Some time later -- Keith couldn’t be sure how much later, it’s hard to focus on trivial things like  _ time  _ when the boy of your dreams is pressed up against you -- they break apart. But they don’t go far. Lance leans down a little, pressing his forehead against Keith, and smiles -- a breathtaking, brilliant, beautifully  _ soft  _ smile the likes of which Keith isn’t sure he’s ever seen before. He’s pretty sure he stops breathing.

“Hi,” Lance whispers.

“Hi,” Keith whispers back.

It’s a perfect moment. Screw the Bonding Moment. This is the one Keith wants to remember forever -- Lance healthy and happy, close to Keith, smiling and warm and beautiful. And, amazingly, happy to be with Keith.

But, like all moments, it has to end. Keith reluctantly pulls away, trying to remember what they were doing.

“Sorry for spacing out,” he confesses. “I just… I can’t believe this is happening, and it takes me some time to process things. I--” he feels awkward, but feels the need to be honest. “--I kind of missed everything you were saying.”

Lance smiles, slightly exasperated but fond.

“I was just telling you about spa days back home with my family.” Lance always has the sweetest smile when he remembers his family, and now that smile is turned full force on Keith. It’s stunning. Then he catches up--

Oh. Right. Spa day.

Because, like a lovesick fool, he’d agreed to do a face mask with Lance. And not just any face mask, a  _ food goo face mask _ . Lance must see the way Keith’s face falls and laughs, but it’s not a cruel laugh. It’s light. Teasing. Friendly.

“Come on, mullet,” Lance says, pulling Keith towards his bathroom. “Your skin will thank me.”

“I don’t know about that,” Keith argues. There’s  _ no way  _ food goo is good for the skin. “But I will. It’s worth it to spend time with you.”

Lance flushes beet red and sputters. Interesting.

“Keith!” He squawks. “You can’t just say something like that!”

Very interesting.

“Like what?” Keith tests the waters. “Like say that I’d be willing to do a lot of stupid things just to spend time with you?” Louder sputtering. “Or that maybe you have a point about skin care because your face is absolutely stunning?” Said face is now an unhealthy shade of red as Lance covers it with his hands. “Or that I think it’s adorable that ‘Loverboy Lance’ is too shy to take a compliment?” It’s amazing how easy it is to flirt when Lance responds this way -- Keith definitely likes this.

Lance, for his part, seems to be actually dying, though the smile on his face while he does so shows that he’s enjoying it too.

This is nice. Keith could get used to this.

“UGH!” Lance groans loudly, his grin undermining his attempts to complain. “Are you going to be like this all the time?”   


“Probably,” Keith agrees. “You make it so fun to tease you. And I like complimenting you. You deserve it.”

Lance slaps his hands over his face again, glee and embarrassment fighting for prominence.

“I’m dead,” he deadpans. “Cause of death: cute boyfriend giving cute compliments. Bury me at sea, Keith. You’ll have to  _ find  _ a sea, of course, but I’m sure you can manage. It’s the least you can do after  _ killing me  _ with your compliments and your face and that smug smirk.”

Yeah, Keith could get used to this. A cute boy calling him boyfriend? That cute boy’s shenanigans and smiles lighting up every moment of his life? A shooting star that came to rest by his side? He could  _ definitely  _ get used to this.


End file.
